Valsad, Jul 26 (PTI) A Gujarat resident was shocked when an insurance company rejected his mediclaim on the grounds that his Google Timeline did not match the location of the hospital that had treated him.
The man from Silvassa had to knock on the door of the Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum in Valsad district, which ruled in his favour and directed the company to settle the claim with interest.
In its order of July 14, made available recently, the president of the consumer forum, B G Dave, directed the firm to pay Rs 48,251 (mediclaim amount) with 8 per cent interest within 30 days of the order.
Vallabh Matka, who had a mediclaim policy from Go Digit General Insurance Limited, was admitted to a private hospital in Silvassa in September 2024 for four days after he contracted viral pneumonia.
After his discharge, Matka submitted medical bills to the insurance company for reimbursement. However, it rejected the claim, saying there were discrepancies over his Google Timeline.
Google Timeline, earlier called Location History, creates a map of the places a person has been and the routes the individual has taken on each of their devices.
Left with no option, Matka approached the consumer forum, a quasi-judicial body with the power to make decisions and resolve certain disputes like a court.
After being issued a notice, the company told the forum that there were many inconsistencies concerning Matka’s claim.
“Upon internal verification of the claim, we noted that there are multiple discrepancies in submitted bills, indoor case papers and we have also noted discrepancies from insured statement to his verified Google Timeline,” the company told the forum.
As per the customer’s statement, his phone was with him during hospitalisation, but as per Google Timeline, “the hospital location was not found in the patient’s Google Map”, it said.
The forum, however, relied on the hospital’s statement and other records.
“In the report by the insurance company, it has said that the patient was admitted to the hospital and received treatment but it seems that they wanted to reject the claim and are giving false reason that the Google map timeline is not matching,” the forum said, ordering the firm to settle the claim and pay 8 per cent interest. PTI COR PD NR
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